Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY 2.5Paw Paw’s library runs 130 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
Paw Paw Public Library District serves 830 people in and around Paw Paw. Last year it lent 2,892 print books and media and logged 3,136 visits.
What stands out about Paw Paw’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Paw Paw’s civic life grade
Paw Paw isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Paw Paw Public Library District serves 830 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
2,892 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Paw Paw’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 15K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
About 1 kids’ program a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
Paw Paw Public Library District, 362 Chicago Road, Paw Paw.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.56 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Paw Paw cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $42K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $66K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $42K budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 389 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Paw Paw
Does Paw Paw have a public library?
Yes. Paw Paw Public Library District, 362 Chicago Road, serves 830 people in and around Paw Paw (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Paw Paw Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Paw Paw’s library?
It logged 3.8 visits and lent 3.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Paw Paw’s civic life grade?
Paw Paw isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Paw Paw.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.